For the most part, manufacturers or suppliers of solar modules produce support systems which are specially adapted to the modules, are relatively expensive and which must be adapted to the specific application. Conventional support systems require a high assembly cost, the result of which is that the support systems and the mounting of the modules substantially increase the total cost of systems of this type.
Therefore, there is a great need to provide a mounting system or a mounting profile which can be used together with different modules, which reduces assembly cost, and enables a fastening of the modules that meets safety regulations and ensures a precise, damage-avoiding fastening of the modules over a long period of time. Moreover, there is the need for a mounting profile which is suitable for mounting systems for fastening modules at various locations of use, in particular, for fastening them to roofs, facades and free-standing installations.
To solve these problems, DE 101 32 557 A1 proposes a mounting profile for fastening photovoltaic modules comprising: an elongated, parallelepiped base; a toothed surface portion on at least one lateral face of the base; a lateral screw channel which extends essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis on at least one lateral face of the base; and at least one drainage channel which extends in longitudinal direction in the base open to the upper side and an upper screw channel which extends essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis on the upper side of the base between two weather strips. Accurately prepared mounting profiles or their adaptation on site are required for this solution. These requirements are not optimal, since assembly takes place under more difficult conditions on the roof or on scaffolding on the facade.
DE 34 23 227 A1 describes a holding device for solar collectors which has several mounting supports which are formed from a mounting profile and a supporting plate. Furthermore, at least two supporting rails form part of the holding device which can be moved along the mounting profiles of the mounting support and secured and which can, in turn, receive fastening elements which are adjustable in their longitudinal direction and can be secured for the direct or indirect engagement on the solar collector. Above all, when anchor rails are used which extend transverse to the supporting rails, it should be possible to produce stable frames which can be adjusted in any direction and to which solar collectors can be anchored. The disadvantage of this system is the plurality of rails to be screwed together, the lack of adjustability vis-à-vis the roof surface, and the selected manner of fastening.
The kit described in DE 91 09 605 U1 consists of at least four hooks which can be suspended in roof laths and tiles, and which are telescopically extendable, a vertical rail allocated to each pair of hooks so as to be movable and at least two horizontal rails which each connect the adjacent vertical rails are movable relative thereto, wherein the solar modules are horizontally movable, insertable and lockable within the horizontal rails. The kit offers a certain flexibility in the roof plane, is however cumbersome to handle because of its height due to the lattice-like rail arrangement and due to the number of screw connections.
The collector quick mounting system according to DE 197 17 996 A1 provides roof hooks with a tubular socket as mechanical connecting element between roof construction and solar collector. The roof hooks are pushed under the roof tiles and hooked into a roof lath and otherwise lie on the roof tile. The collectors are fastened by means of retaining clips on the tubular sockets arranged horizontally after assembly, whereby the retaining clips can be screwed onto the back of the collectors after first measuring the distance of the tubular sockets. The disadvantage of this mounting system is, in particular, the required accurate attachment of the retaining clips and the inability to correct.
A device for fastening plate-like components, in particular solar modules and solar collectors, is known from EP 0 761 901 B1, in which the plate-like components are arranged on them in longitudinal direction, superposed in a scale-like manner, and the component on the top in direction of the higher side overlaps with its front end the rear end of the component below it. The plate-like components on the profiles are fastened in longitudinal direction to essentially horizontal frame parts such as roof laths and suspended with their lower end in hooks. Each profile has two lateral bearing surfaces on its upper side extending in longitudinal direction thereof and a recess between said bearing surfaces and the components lie with their lateral edges on one of the bearing surfaces of the profile. A gap is arranged therebetween above the recess. The profile is thereby designed in such a way that the lower section of a second profile can be pushed into the upper section of the profile so that both sections adjoin one another in a form-fitting manner.
The profiles can be pushed into one another to any length desired, as a result of which differences in length can be adjusted.
This object, which remained ignored in spite of numerous efforts to create assembly-friendly and adaptable building systems, is now to be dealt with by the present invention.
Since extruded aluminum profiles are usually used as support profiles, screw connections are used inter-connection employing prefabricated bores or blocks sliding in the support profiles.
A connection of this type is described, inter alia, in DE 34 23 227 A1 and DE 299 19 147 U1. The sliding blocks on the longitudinal side are thereby laterally pushed into the groove or must be turned by 90° after insertion into the groove in order to be secured behind the inwardly bent groove sides.
In addition to the use of screw connections of this type where the block has parallel flat surfaces at the support and the opposite surface, blocks are also known which are domed or round (DE 299 11 401 U1).
A sliding block, which has a semicircular shape on one side, and which can be tilted into a support profile groove by the rounding is offered by the firm SCHÜCO International KG, Bielefeld, Germany. This sliding block is secured after insertion by means of a springloaded ball situated in the block.
Depending on the design, the disadvantages of these connections are, inter alia, essentially the required lateral insertion of the sliding block, the subsequent establishment of the connection block/clamp bolt, required rotation of the block to bring it into a securable position, the securing by additional elements prior to screwing together, just to name the most important disadvantages.